Ballet And Bullets
by Neroli
Summary: A River and Jayne centered AU, River went to a ballet academy instead of The Academy. Updated to fix some mistakes.
1. Happy Birthday

Disclaimer: Characters do not belong to me; they are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Fox.

Feedback is always welcome.

This one is a River and Jayne AU. It is based around the idea of what would River be like if she had never gone to the Academy, and what if she met Jayne under different circumstances.

Thanks to Cassie E., Kryptonite and torideathangel for the inspiration. This was born out of some bizarre mating ritual between Cassie's innocent ponderings on what they did on Beaumonde for those two weeks, Kryptonite's River and Jayne are soul mates comments and Tori's evil plot bunnies...plus a few nights of sleep deprivation. And it was Cassie's wicked, wonderful wallpaper that got this first chapter so stuck in my head that I had to write it before I could finish the next chapter to Torrents. I am hoping the rest of the story will stay put until I finish Torrents. Also, I am all aware I am making River a bit older then she likely is in the series, but since we don't really know for sure how old she is, I claim poetic license.

Dates loosely based on the Firefly Timeline by Edgar Governo.

Chinese translations: Swai: Handsome; Xie-xie: Thank you; Tchen wah: Slut; Hwoon dahn: Son of a bitch; Chunren: jerk; Diyu: hell

****

City of New Dunsmuir, Beaumonde; October 28, 2517

River Tam stood looking out at the cold, gray skies of New Dunsmuir as she idly brushed her long, raven hair. It seemed apt that her birthday should be rainy. Certainly fit her mood. Eighteen; right now she felt more like eighty.

She leaned her forehead against the cool glass as she wondered why the events from last week were making her so melancholy today. At the time, they had hardly bothered her at all. She had been the one to end the affair, after all. And she had no regrets on it, it had been time to move on. Jacob Rezai preferred his mistresses young, and her impending birthday had started showing the cracks in the relationship.

In truth, her reasons for being in the relationship had hardly included love. At least, not a romantic love. He was older, gentle, rich, cultured. A generous and adroit lover, she had learned many things under his skillful tutelage. An intellectual with whom she could discuss quantum physics or any number of the unusual topics that sparked her interest without the odd glances her fellow dancers treated her too. It had not been a highly passionate affair; she had not been looking for passion from him, she had been looking for solace. A comforting father-like figure to help her adjust to being on her own for the first time.

It was unusual for her to meet someone who could accept her rare genius with such grace as Jacob had shown. And those that could accept her as an intellectual could never understand why she had chosen dance. They felt she was wasting her brilliant mind. The two most vocal advocates for her pursuing a more scientific path were her parents. Their constant disapproval had been a driving force behind her decision to join the New Balanchine Ballet Company four months ago. Dagan had provided the other driving force. Both in her joining the company and her affair with Jacob.

Dagan. Her first love, he had been magnificent. A young dancer in her first company, she had been immediately enchanted by him. Until his jealousy at her rapid rise out of the corps surfaced. He had been so young and swai, only a year older then her. Their love affair had burned hot, fueled by lust. And it had quickly turned to ashes; she supposed that should not have surprised her. He was a remarkable dancer who would someday rise to Cavalier; she was sure of it. But not as quickly as he felt he deserved. And she was already the understudy for a Prima Ballerina. Poised for that next step to a leading role.

Between the painful breakup with Dagan and her parents' disdain of her career choice, the lure of a company that traveled to the more remote planets and moons instead of staying exclusively in the Core had been too strong to pass up.

The soft chime of the bell outside her room broke her reverie. She moved gracefully to answer the door, the folds of her pale blue silk robe lapping gently around her ankles like waves. Upon seeing that it was a delivery boy out in the hall, she opened the door.

"Xie-xie" She said in her soft voice, already preoccupied by the package he had handed her. As the door closed she moved over to the bed, sitting down before she opened the box. It was from Simon.

She should have known he would be the one to remember her birthday, she thought with a smile. She read the enclosed letter first, savoring his tales of life at the hospital. He told her of his decision to take the job on Ariel that he'd been offered, she was pleased to read that. It was a wonderful opportunity for him. St. Lucy's was one of the top hospital's in the Core, and they had offered him a significant promotion and raise over what he had at Osiris General. He wrote that he'd be leaving for Ariel almost immediately. Wonderful, that meant that when she went to visit him over the holidays she would not have to deal with Mother and Father.

Of course, it also meant she'd have to change her flight plans. Shouldn't be difficult, the ship she had booked would be flying close to Ariel anyway. She might even be able to get them to alter their course slightly to drop her off there instead.

Her pleasure in Simon's letter dimmed slightly when she pulled aside the thin paper wrapping her present and saw the delicate china doll. It looked somewhat eerily like her, its black hair pulled back in a bun and dressed in a pale pink tutu, tiny silk ballet slippers on its feet. She released a long suffering sigh; it was a lovely doll, but she hadn't collected them since she was nine. That was her older brother however; great with remembering dates, not so great at remembering tastes. She gave a little chuckle as ideas for things to get him for Christmas danced in her head. Maybe she should get him one of those wobbly headed Geisha doll's she'd seen in the stores near the port. She could almost see the look of horror on his face.

She carefully re-wrapped the gift and hurried to get ready. A little thrill of excitement starting to rise as she remembered her friends promise to take her someplace special after the performance tonight.

****

Later That Night

Jayne Cobb leaned back in his chair; casually proppin' his large feet up on the table in front of him. He'd sat himself in a corner where he could see the door an' most'a the small, dingy bar outta habit more'n any other reason. Not that a fight wouldn't add some excitement to his otherwise dull evenin'. The ship he was on, Serenity, had docked a couple'a days ago. An' most of that time had been spent cleanin' off the decks. Looked like that was gonna be his lot for most'a the two weeks Mal was plannin' on stayin' here.

He spit out the cigar end he'd just bit off with an air of disgust. Sure, he knew they needed ta let li'l Kaylee do her repairs. It had been a while since she'd gotten a chance to give Serenity a good overhaul. But two weeks planet side cleanin' out air duct's an' the like with the odd job makin' a milk run up ta one of the moons in the shuttle weren't his idea of fun. Or profit.

Still, Serenity was the best job he'd ever had. And Mal was the first Captain he'd worked for that actually treated him as more'n just a thug. Even if'n he didn't get the man's inconvenient honor code. He was still workin' on figurin' why Mal'd returned that ruttin' medicine a few months back. Jus' didn't add up givin' it back after they went ta all that trouble gettin' it. And Niska was not a man one crossed lightly, hell, even he knew that.

An' that whole Saffron thing, he'd'a not given that _tchen wah_ a chance to take his ship. She'd'a been too busy warmin' his bed and cookin' for him. 'Stead, he'd gotten a ruttin' rain stick and Mal'd gotten a good night kiss, damn fool, didn't even know not ta kiss a woman on the mouth.

But Serenity sure had her own share of charms. A decent cut of the profit's, his own bunk, full run of the kitchen, He even got ta flirt with a pretty mechanic, not that anything'd ever come of it. Mal'd made it clear Kaylee was off limits to that kinda thing. An' more important, Kaylee'd made it clear. But weren't nothin' could stop him from admirin'. An' Zoe an' 'Nara was jus' as fine lookin', even if they was even less like to give him the time'a day. Still, weren't many berths that had such fine womenfolk on it. Man certainly couldn't fault the view 'round Serenity.

An' speakin' of views, that was one fine lookin' piece that jus' walked in the door. 'Course, her'n her friends looked a mite outta place. More ruttin' rich kids lookin' for a thrill in the seedy part'a town. They held themselves all straight-like, but not stiff. Had an odd kinda grace to 'em. It was kinda eerie-assed how they all moved like that. Almost enough to convince a man there really was aliens out there.

The boys were obviously sly, an' a couple ta boot. The easy, familiar way their hands were clasped spoke volumes. The two girls on her other side both looked about with an intense hunger he'd only seen in a cat stalkin' a mouse 'fore. Might be they were somethin' of a pair themselves, though they clearly had no objections to a man joinin' in on the fun now an' then. One of 'em gave him a bold, once over. But he let his gaze drift lazily back to the one in the middle that'd first caught his eye.

She had a faintly sad air 'bout her, slender, almost to the point of bein' scrawny. Not at all the kinda woman he usually went for, but there was somethin' 'bout her. She was wearin' a tight black top with loose brown slacks, almost full enough to pass as a skirt, an' a matchin' brown jacket. Looked to be made of silk. He wondered idly what it would feel like as he slipped it off her smooth shoulders. Like the other two girls, her hair was pulled back in'a tight bun. Unlike the other two, she almost seemed ta glow. Luminescent? Yes, that was the word.

Her wide, brown eyes were moving slowly 'round the dim bar. As those magnificent eyes locked with his, he felt a slow heat start in his gut 'fore it moved down. Yep, his John Thomas was definitely interested in that one. He raised his glass to her in a silent toast, givin' her his most charmin' smile. The one he usually saved for his favorite whores.

Those big eyes'a hers got a little bigger in shock, then she gave him a disdainful smile and rolled 'em in an eloquent gesture of dismissal before she turned to take the drink one of the boys was pressin' into her hands. He felt a flash of anger as he realized that look'd been just like one'a Inara's favorites.

Gorram girl thought she was better'n him, he thought as he slammed the rest of his drink back. Leanin' forward he grabbed the waitress passin' near to order another drink, hell, this time he was gettin' a whole gorram bottle.

River settled gracefully onto one of the stools surrounding the small table they'd found. This had not been what she had expected when they had told her they were taking her someplace special.

She glanced around again, noting that they were the only group unarmed here. She hoped there wasn't going to be any trouble tonight. She knew a swift kick in the gonads would take any of them out in a one on one fight, but that did little good against a man trying to shoot you. Or a whole bar full of men trying to shoot you.

Her gaze drifted back to the big man in the corner, he was now intently pouring himself another drink. His cigar clenched in his teeth. That one gave her cause for alarm even without the gun strapped at his hip. There was something about the way he had raised that glass at her that told her he could move more swiftly then one would assume. It had been a surprisingly graceful gesture, spoke of someone keenly aware of what his body was capable of. An awareness of where he was physically that one rarely saw outside of a dance studio. At least, not in her experience.

An odd image of him dancing a pas de deux with her in full dance regalia, tights and all, flitted across her mind. Unfortunately, the moment she started giggling was the one he choose to glance over at her. Trying to cover the laughing fit with a cough, she hastily turned back to Ana Marie and Cerina. His cold, blue eyes had flashed anger when they had caught hers. No doubt he thought she had been laughing at him, well, she _had_ been...but not in the way he would be thinking.

It really was a shame the man had chosen to leer at her like that, if he hadn't gotten that insufferably smug look on his face she might have been more encouraging of his attentions. Or perhaps not, there was danger coiled in every hard muscle of his body. And that glint of anger in his eyes had made Dagan's pale in comparison.

Bennie and Tabor returned with the second round of drinks. Had they already finished the first? She glanced at her own half full glass ruefully. Seemed she was the slow drinker tonight.

"Well River," Cerina said to her, leaning forward conspiratorially, "it's your birthday, you get first dibs." She had that wicked gleam in her eye.

"I really don't think that's a wise idea." River found herself protesting.

"Aw, come on." Ana Marie pleaded, "Why do you think we brought you here? Most of these men are on transports, they'll be gone before you know it. Perfect place for a good old fashioned one night stand."

"Yes, unwashed, crude Neanderthals missing most of their teeth are really my style." River told her dryly.

"That big, fine, hunk of man flesh over in the corner had all his teeth." Tabor added helpfully. "At least, all the visible ones."

"No." She snapped at him. She instantly regretted her harsh tone as Tabor moved back a pace. But she forced her eyes to stay locked on his; otherwise she'd look at the man in question and she instinctively knew they had drawn his attention again. Not to mention most of the rest of the bar.

"So then, he's fair game?" Cerina asked coyly. River bit back a second no and settled for just glaring at her. And why did she care if Cerina did go after him, anyway? She frowned as Cerina slid back into her seat; the older girl was gazing at her with a thoughtful look. River took a long drink from her glass to hide her unease as Cerina smiled at her knowingly.

Fortunately, River was saved from further teasing when the fiddle player off to the side of the room started up a jig. She watched Cerina and Ana Marie's distraction with relief.

"Oh, we should dance." Ana Marie crowed with delight, one of the things the five of them shared was an interest in folk dances. Most of the other dancers in the company felt anything less disciplined then a waltz was beneath them.

"You all go ahead; I'll sit here and hold our table." She forced herself to laugh as she said it. She was already starting to feel like a party pooper at her own party.

"You sure?" Bennie asked his voice concerned.

"Yes, I'm sure," She reassured him gently, "I'll dance later." She put on her brightest smile as she playfully pushed him into Tabor's arms. With a sigh of relief, she settled back on her stool as they moved to a clear spot in the middle of the room to dance. She smiled wryly as she made herself a vow to spend her next birthday locked in her room eating bon-bons and watching old movies on the Cortex. And maybe drowning herself in a case a champagne.

She watched as the four paired off, noting with amusement that they stayed girl/girl and boy/boy tonight. Yet more proof, not that she needed any, that Cerina and Ana Marie were looking for a third party to join them. It didn't take them long, a few quick turns around the small open space and they had pulled a young man in with them. Not bad looking. He seemed rather cleaner then the rest too.

After watching them for a few moments her mind started to drift. It had been a long day. The night's performance had been shaky at best; Alexia had been feeling under the weather. And when the Prima Ballerina was not feeling good, no one was feeling good. Normally River got along fine with her, but all her prima donna tendancies rose to the fore when she was ill.

A hand suddenly grabbed her elbow, startling her out of her reverie. The wild hope that it was the man from the corner was immediately smashed upon viewing the face grinning at her when she turned. He stank, his hair hung in limp, oily tendrils and he was missing both front teeth. Lovely, she thought to herself as she fought to keep the grimace of distaste off her face.

"Wanna dance, little lady." His bland voice made it seem more like a statement then a question.

"No, thank you." She declined politely. Her eyes swept over to the open space where her friends had been dancing, only, they weren't there. Damn it.

"Weren't really askin'." He said threateningly.

He gave her arm a tug, just enough to send her tipping off the stool. He'd meant to send her into his arms, she was sure. But her dancers grace saved her from that fate; with a slight twist of her body she managed to slam into the table instead. As he started to tug her arm again a large hand reached around her and took hold of his wrist, she watched transfixed as the knuckles went white. She could hear the bones grinding in the other man's wrist. She felt the other hand at her waist as he gently steadied her.

The two hands provided an intriguing dichotomy; the one crushing her tormenters wrist was all brutal strength, the other at her waist showed an almost tender concern.

This, she knew without looking, was the man from the corner. Not a wild hope this time, it was a dead certainty. She could feel the warmth of him up and down her back, even though the only contact between them was his large hand on her waist. A faint shiver went through her as his voice rumbled out of his chest. The slight tensing of his grip letting her know he'd felt it.

"I'd leave the lady alone, if'n I was you." His deep voice had the uncultured drawl that was so common out on the rim, but on him it was oddly pleasant as it caressed her ears. He let the man's wrist go a few seconds after the other released her arm. He rubbed his abused wrist as he snarled up at her savior.

"Don't seem like this is any'a yer business." The slimy little creep looked over his shoulder at his buddies, they obligingly moved in behind him. "I'm thinkin' it's 'tween me and the girlie."

River felt a little shock as the man moved around her to invade her attacker's personal space. She was not nearly as delicate as she appeared, she was actually on the tall side of average, but this man towered over her. She'd been able to tell he was a big man, but he was truly impressive when standing next to you.

"An' I'm thinkin' yer wrong." He growled back. Not seeming to be at all worried about the man's posse. "Now, we can do this one'a two ways, you agree it's my business an' we act all civil-like. Or ya don't and I smash my business in yer face."

Dear Lord, was the man crazy? He'd just about assured the other guy and his buddies couldn't back down and he had no back up. Four against one just did not seem like good odds to her. If he hadn't interfered she'd have been able to take the one down with a sharp knee-cap. Of course, her mind rationalized, then the other three would probably have ganged up on her.

Just as she knew he would, the slimy man lunged forward, pulling out a knife as he did. She rapidly scooted out of the way as her errant knight grabbed the stool she'd been sitting on earlier and smashed it across his attacker's head. He then used it to jab one of the others in the gut, reaching across it to slam a fist into the third guy's nose with a sickening crunch. The forth one he hit across the jaw with his other fist, the stool clattering to the ground next to the first attacker. He stepped almost casually over it to grab the two he'd just punched and smacked their heads together.

The one he'd hit in the gut straighten up, his arms wrapped around his likely broken ribs, the big man simply snarled at him. The poor guy held up one hand in defeat, moving in to grab the first guy and drag him out of the way. There was a bloody gash across his forehead and his eyes didn't look very focused. River was positive he had a concussion. The other two stumbled to their feet and followed them over to the corner they had all come out of.

All told, she didn't think the fight had lasted more then two minutes.

Jayne bent to pick the knife off the floor, grabbin' her stool to right it at the same time. Needed a minute to let the rush of anger cool 'fore he faced her. He'd told himself he weren't gonna interfere when the man had first started headin' over to her, but then the hwoon dahn had grabbed her. He might not always cotton to Mal's high-minded moral code, but one thing they agreed on was there weren't no right in forcin' your attentions on a woman didn't want 'em.

Not that he couldn't understand the temptation; it had near 'bout taken all his self control not to pull her back against him. Pushin' the memory of the faint hint of lavender that seemed ta surround her away; he realized he'd been standin' there scowlin' at the four in the corner, instinctively testing the balance of the knife. It was a good knife, he decided as he tucked it into his belt and turned to the girl.

Man could drown in those eyes'a hers he thought, a little startled at how close she was.

"Thank you." Her voice was all cool politeness, again remindin' him of Inara. Only this girl had a more...pixie-like, quality to her. Somethin' 'bout that serene gaze made him want ta rattle her a bit. He leered down at her playfully.

"My pleasure." He drawled, "So, when do I get my reward kiss?" He watched the play of emotions across her face with amused satisfaction, yep, that had rattled her good. 'Course, the emotion she settled on was anger. She looked like she was seriously considerin' slappin' him.

"I do hope you are joking." Her eyes narrowed slightly. Something like disgust showin' on her face. Maybe baitin' her hadn't been his best move, Jayne thought. But some devil inside pushed him on.

"No, I ain't, you seem all cultured-like," He went on in spite of the storm brewing in the girl's eyes. "thought it was considered polite ta reward someone that saved ya."

"Only if a reward was offered in advance," She countered her tone positively frigid, "which it wasn't. If the reward is not offered in advance it is considered strictly optional. And, in fact, I never asked for your...assistance. Nor is it clear that it was needed. I hold that I could have handled the situation in a satisfactory way, without all the blood and broken noses." She gave him a prim little smile, darin' him to contradict her. Jayne snorted.

"Yea, I'm sure they'd'a been plenty "satisfied" by the time they was done with ya." He glared down at her, she didn't really think she could'a taken all four of those chunren on her own, did she? Li'l slip of'a girl like her? She'd be lucky if she got one of 'em down.

"But we shall never know now, shall we?" She tilted her head to one side and studied him. "Since you came blundering in to rescue me..."

"Blunderin'?" He interrupted harshly, hurt by her words. "I'd hardly call that "blundering". That was a fine bit of rescuin'. Requires a lotta skill to take four men out like that." He folded his arms across his chest and glared down at her.

"Hmm...I'm sure it does." She said sarcastic-like, then turned on her heal an' walked over to his table. After settlin' delicately in one'a the chairs she looked back over at him questioningly. With a faint huff, he followed her. As he lowered himself back into his seat, she filled his glass from the bottle. He was a little surprised it was still there, way he'd left it all untended like that. She pushed the bottle over to him and kept the glass for herself.

"What's your name?" She asked him calmly.

"Ya won't give me a kiss, but ya got no problem invitin' yerself to my table an' drinkin' my booze?" He asked, ignorin' her question. She genuinely puzzled him. He was gettin' all sorts of mixed signals here an' he had no idea what the Diyu was goin' on. Her head did that tilty thing as she fixed her gaze back on him.

"No." She said, smiling softly at him, "Besides, you seem to have appointed yourself my knight in shining armor, it seems only fitting to let you continue to protect my honor until my friends finish their little trysts." The sad look creep back into her eyes at the last bit, he wondered if she felt a bit left outta her friends' pairings.

"Does my knight have a name?" She asked again. Even the faintly tauntin' tone did little to stop the thrill of her callin' him her knight.

"Jayne Cobb." He told her, puffin' up a bit in pride.

"Jayne?" Her voice rose in surprise, he'd been teased enough 'bout his name ta know what was comin' next. He glared at her, darin' her ta say the words; the eyes that twinkled up at him were filled with mirth. "Isn't that a girl's name?"

"I ain't a girl." He growled, scowlin' at her.

"Really," She chuckled back, "I never would have been able to tell." She took a drink of whisky, her eyes sparkling over the rim of the glass.

"You know," She said conversationally, her mood shiftin' on him again, "there's an old song from Earth-that-was about a boy with a girl's name. His father gave him it to him; then deserted him and his Ma. It's called "A Boy Named Sue", it tells of how he had to learn to fight to prove he was a man and it made him hard and strong and mean. Then at the end he meets his Pa and tries to kill him for naming him Sue, but his Pa tells him the name was a gift, he knew he'd be leaving and wouldn't be there to help him so he gave him a name that would ensure he'd learn to take care of himself."

It almost seemed she was tryin' ta make him feel better 'bout havin'a girl's name. Truth was it never really bugged him, less someone got it into their head ta tease him 'bout it. But how'd she know so much 'bout Earth-that-was songs?

"I was researching old folk songs and the name caught my eye." She smiled shyly up at him, soundin' apologetic. "I mean, how can you not listen to a song called "A Boy Named Sue"?"

He stared at her; she was like no one he'd ever met 'fore. He watched her eyes flicker at somethin' over his shoulder, as she scowled slightly he turned to look, half expectin' one'a the creep's'd gotten bold again. Instead he saw the two girls she'd come in with walkin' over, their arms twined together. He scanned the room quickly, finding the two boys standin' by the door, looking impatient.

"River, it's incredibly late, we really ought to get going." The short, dark haired one said, givin' him a meaningful glance, "Unless you have plans?"

"I'll be just a moment, Ana Marie." River told her, giving her a sharp look. River, the name suited her, kinda fluid-like; he grinned slightly at his own pun.

"Don't take too long." The other girl said. She was the one that'd given him the bold look earlier. She leaned down and kissed River on the cheek and whispered somethin' in her ear that made the girl blush.

"I won't." River said with'a laugh, playfully pushin' the other girl away.

The two hooked arms again an' headed towards the door, glancing back over their shoulders 'fore puttin' their heads together an' gigglin'. For some odd reason Jayne felt a bit dirty after the brief encounter. He shifted awkwardly; oddly reluctant for the night to end, but not sure if she wanted to see him again.

"Well, I should be going." She said softly, lookin' up at him. He could almost convince himself she was waitin' for him ta ask her to stay.

"Yea, looks like." He replied, sounded lame even ta him. Gorramit, he ain't never been good at pretty speeches. She stayed seated, gazin' back at him.

"Are you with a ship?" She asked finally, that sadness was back in her eyes again. He nodded at her.

"Named Serenity. We're docked here for a couple'a weeks." Probably more'n she wanted ta know, but least she'd be able ta find him if she wanted to.

"Goodnight then, Jayne Cobb." She said softly as she stood.

"Night River," He forced a smile for her, saying gruffly, "try not ta get in any scrapes, ya hear?" She rewarded him with the sweetest smile he'd ever seen.

"If I do, I'll be sure to call for my knight in shining armor." Before he could think what ta say to that she leaned across the table and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, the scent of lavender enveloping him for a second before she pulled back. With one last smile, she turned and hurried across the bar to her friends. She turned and gave him a little wave before she disappeared out the door. Gone 'fore he could get his stunned brain to tell his arm to lift an' wave back.

His fingers came to rest where her lips had been.

TBC....eventually.


	2. Of Dreams And Hangovers

Disclaimer: Characters do not belong to me; they are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Fox.

Feedback is always welcome.

This one is a River and Jayne AU. It is based around the idea of what would River be like if she had never gone to the Academy, and what if she met Jayne under different circumstances. Thanks to Cassie E., Kryptonite and torideathangel for the inspiration. Much love to Cassie and jebbypal for the beta-ing.

Well, gave up on waiting to update this until Torrents was done. Going to try alternating working on stories, just kinda depends what my fickle muse allows.

Chinese translations:

Chunren: jerk

Dong Ma?: Do you understand?

Hundan: Bastard

Tchen wah: Slut

…_She heard the slight rasp of his callused hand against the thin, silk fabric of her coat as it came to rest at her waist. His other hand languidly trailed up her arm, sending shivers through her. The heat of him warmed her back as he leaned closer to place a soft kiss on her neck. Gentle fingers slid the silk off one shoulder so they could run across her bare skin. His tongue traced a slow pattern up towards her ear as the hand at her waist moved around to splay across her stomach…with a sigh she melted back into him…_

River groaned as the alarm went off; she didn't dare hit the snooze and sink back into her dream again. Still, she pulled the cover over her head and closed her eyes tightly for a moment, trying to burn the memory of the dream into her head.

It wasn't until she sat up and turned the alarm off in frustration that it hit her just who it was she had been dreaming about. That crude, uncouth mercenary from last night. He'd never said just what it was he did, but the air of danger and the efficient way he'd dispatched her tormenters spoke volumes.

A slight shudder went through her at the memory, if he hadn't come to her rescue she would have been in real danger. In spite of what she had told him last night she was well aware she would have been helpless against the whole group. And in a place like that it is unlikely anyone else would have come to her aid; at least, not without expecting her to pay them back with a tumble in one of the rooms there. And all he'd asked for was a kiss.

The way her body had reacted to him it was more then likely if she _had_ kissed him, really kissed him, it would have turned into a tumble right there on his table. The way he'd smelled, all cigars and whisky and an indefinable musky, male scent. The unexpected smoothness of his cheek under her lips, except for the slight raspy-ness where the corner of her mouth had brushed against his stubble. His hands with their long, slender fingers; she could almost feel those hands caressing every inch of her. And the heat that radiated off of him. That was what pulled at her the most; it made her want to step in close and let the warmth of him seep into every pore.

She was almost disappointed he hadn't pressed the matter.

With another sigh she slid the rest of the way out of the large, empty bed and headed to the bathroom for a quick, cold shower.

Jayne staggered up Serenity's ramp, knowing full well he was in for a lashin' from Mal. He'd promised to be back long 'fore this. But after the girl'd left he hadn't been in no mood to be stuck on the ship. So he'd gone and gotten as stinking drunk as he could and passed out at the table. Apparently they'd been unable to move him to a room.

So now he was stuck with the mother of all hangovers. The one bright spot was a vague memory of lurching over to the four creeps that'd attacked her earlier and scarin' the piss out of 'em. Of course, they'd turned tail an' run so it hadn't been nearly as satisfying as it could'a been. And everyone else he glared at hoping they'd get offended enough to pick a fight with him had looked away. Gorram bunch of yellowbellies.

Jus' when he thought he was gonna get lucky and reach his bunk without Mal seeing him, he ran straight into him.

"Sorry Mal," he mumbled, squinting down at the man sprawled on the floor. Least there was only one of him, but he was tending ta get a mite fuzzy lookin'.

"Gorramit Jayne," Mal glared at him as he stood up. "Is there some pressing reason ya can't look where you're going?" Mal's eyes narrowed as he took in his disheveled appearance. "You just getting back? I thought we agreed you were just to go for a quick drink?"

"Ran into a bit a trouble," he muttered, hoping Mal made this a short lecture.

"Looks to me like the only trouble you ran into was an ornery bottle of whiskey," Mal said dryly. "Go on, git. Not going to be much use till you get some sleep anyways." The Captain jerked his head in the general direction of Jayne's bunk.

Jayne headed off gratefully, hoping he still had enough whiskey in him to dull the smell of lavender and the memory of the curve of her hip under his hand.

River slipped into the studio relieved that she had managed to arrive early. Today would not have been a good day to be late. Mr. Hao had promised to make a decision on which piece was to be added in next week's program. She'd nearly forgotten that the announcement was today after all the birthday hoopla and Alexia's peevish mood yesterday.

He preferred to perform only Balanchine choreographed dances, so she had known it would be a struggle to get hers included when she started working on it. But it was so lovely and would make a perfect showcase piece for her first solo. Of course that was another strike against it; she was not a seasoned dancer yet. And there were several other dancers vying for the spot that had unexpectedly opened.

It was unusual for a soloist and her understudy to both suffer injuries in the same week. Breanna would likely be back at rehearsals within a month or so, but Sherise's injury had been serious enough that she would not be dancing for the rest of the season. So an older ensemble piece had been dusted off to fill the gap until a more suitable one could be found.

She glanced up from doing her laces in time to see Tabor and Bennie entering the studio. With a wave, she caught their eyes.

"About time you two showed up," she teased as they sat down beside her.

"Well, some of us didn't get to sleep so early," Tabor replied with a wicked glance at his lover.

"You would have if you hadn't started kissing me," Bennie added, his gentle voice filled with amusement at Tabor's attempt to put the blame on him.

"So, you think we might have another reason to celebrate tonight?" Tabor asked. River could tell by the mischievous twinkle in his eye that if there was he fully intended to drag her back to that bar and see if he'd be there again tonight. The scary part was she knew there wouldn't be much need for dragging.

"You know that tonight is the night the Governor is attending," Alexia, the Prima Ballerina of the company, said from behind them. "It is expected that we are all present and accounted for at the after-party tonight."

"Good luck River," she added as she leaned down to give River an encouraging kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you," River said softly. "I think I'm going to need it." Alexia chuckled and gave her shoulder a squeeze before heading off to the front of the room.

"Looks like we weren't the only two that didn't go to bed to sleep," Tabor said dryly as Cerina and Ana Marie hurried into the room just as the door to the director's office opened and Mr. Hao moved to stand at his customary place in front of the mirrors.

"As you know we are adding a new piece to next week's program," he began without preamble except for a slight frown in Ana Maria and Cerina's direction as they settled down quickly. "In spite of my reservations on Ms. Tam's readiness for a solo spot, it does seem that her piece is in the most polished form at this time. So we are adding the "White Widow" featuring River Tam on a trial basis."

He gave River a stern look, "Here is your chance to prove me wrong River. But if you prove me right, one of the others will get their shot."

At River's stunned smile and the squeals coming from the small group surrounding her, he gave her a slight smile. Letting his gaze move over the room he clapped his hands for order.

"Let's get to work, dancers."

After a few hours of sleep an' a pot of something that passed for coffee, Jayne was starting to feel almost human again. Of course, that meant Mal had put him to work scrubbing decks again.

It weren't so much that he minded the work, jus' the lack of anything to break up the monotony of it. And the mindlessness of the job gave him too much gorram time to think. To remember her sweet smile after she'd told him 'bout that song. The defiant look in her eyes when she'd told him she could'a handled that _chunren_ and his buddies. Even the way she'd rolled her eyes in disgust haunted him.

And then there was the memory of her soft lips brushing against his cheek. They'd felt cool against his flesh and he found himself wondering if they would have heated up any if he'd grabbed her an' pulled her in to kiss her back. If those soft lips would'a parted and let his tongue in to taste her, what they'd feel like pressed against his…and gorramit, he was not thinking 'bout kissing her.

With a disgusted snort he slopped the mop out of the bucket and tried to force his mind back to the chore at hand.

Weren't like thinking on her was gonna do him any good anyways. Not likely he'd ever see her again and if'n he did she was outta his league. Hell, they weren't even in the same gorram 'verse. Her with her fancy clothes an' soft, cultured voice. The other girls with her had been well spoken, but not like River had been. And the others clothes, while nice, had hardly been silk.

So it was clear she was a bit above her friends in station. Probably came from a moneyed family. Hard saying what it was she did, if anything. He jus' couldn't quite fit the image of her or her friends into any job he knew of. Bugged him a bit, he was usually good at figuring folks out like that. Came in handy knowing what folks did without them telling ya. It was kinda like tracking,

"Evenin' Jayne," Kaylee chirped annoyingly at him as she bounced into the cargo hold. For a brief second Jayne entertained the idea of hitting her with the wet mop. She frowned as he scowled back at her. "Oh, don't look at me all grumpy-like. I ain't the one that poured a gallon of whiskey into ya."

"Least I can hold a gallon," he muttered back, tossing another scowl at her snort of amusement.

"Not sure I'd call that holding it, Mr. Grumpypants," she grinned good-naturedly up at him. "Ain't never seen ya this tetchy from a hangover 'fore."

"Ain't you got work ta do on that engine?" he snapped at her, hoping she didn't notice the slight flush of embarrassment. But his luck on that score was no better then it had been on getting to his bunk without seeing Mal had been. Her eyes narrowed at him thoughtfully for a second before she let out an excited squeal.

"Ya met a girl!"

"Did not," he lied sullenly. He went back to his mopping, hoping she'd get the hint an' go back to her own work.

"Liar," she said, grabbing his arm and trying to drag him over to one of the crates sitting nearby. "Come on, I wanna hear all the details."

"Even if I did meet a girl, an' I ain't saying I did," he pulled his arm out of Kaylee grasp, "why would I tell _you_ 'bout it?" He growled the words at her angrily and then felt like a heel at her hurt look.

"Fine," she sniffed, trying to hide the quick tears, "Least you get to get out some. Ain't stuck here workin' all day."

Gorramit, why'd he have to have such a soft spot for the li'l slip of a girl?

"All right," he ground out, irritated at himself for giving in. "Jus' don't be telling' no one, dong ma?"

With a happy grin, Kaylee led him over to sit on the crates. Mal was so gonna kill him if he found him chatting with Kaylee instead'a mopping. He weren't even sure what he was gonna tell her, ain't like anything much had really happened.

"So, what's her name? How'd ya met? What's she look like? What was she wearin'? What's she like? Did ya do her?" the questions poured out of Kaylee in a dizzying torrent. Jayne blinked at her, shocked at the last question. He surely hadn't heard that right.

"Weren't like that," he said defensively.

"Ya didn't?" Kaylee looked at him disbelievingly. "Seriously? And you're this googly eyed over her? Wow, she must'a been somethin' special." He shifted uncomfortably under Kaylee's awed gaze.

"We never left the bar," he muttered, studying his hands until Kaylee snorted again. He glared at her.

"Like that ever stopped ya," a mischievous twinkle came to her eyes as she added teasingly, "Jayne's got a girlfriend."

"Gorramit," he stood abruptly, "Knew I shouldn't tell ya nothin'."

"Ah, come on," she pleaded, "I was jus' teasin'. I won't no more, promise." He settled back down, knowing he was going to regret this.

"So, her name?" Kaylee prompted, more serious this time.

"Her name's River," Jayne said, a slight frown creasing his face as he tried to remember all the questions Kaylee'd asked. "Her'n some friends showed up at the bar. They left her ta go have a little fun upstairs' an' some _hundan_ started buggin' her. So's I went over to knock some sense into him. Then we had a drink an' talked a bit, then her friends came back an' she left."

"So ya saved her," Kaylee sighed, "How romantic, like a knight in a fairy tale. So what'cha talk about?"

"Nothin' much," he said, remembering her calling him her knight. She hadn't said it in that dreamy way Kaylee had, but it still gave him a little thrill of pride. "Didn't have much time fer talkin'." At Kaylee's disappointed look he added, "She did tell me 'bout a song she'd heard once 'bout a feller named Sue though."

"I'm assumin' that was after ya told her your name's Jayne," she teased, and then held up her hands at his fierce scowl. "Sorry, forgot, no more teasin'."

"That's what ya said last time," he groused back before continuing. "She was like no one I ever seen 'fore. All fragile and delicate looking, even more'n 'Nara. Probably 'bout your height, bit taller but not much. Real slender, but she had some muscle on her too. Sinewy, and real graceful. Like a cat. Round kinda face, with a cute little nose, kinda turned up at the end. An' these big, brown eyes." He felt the stupid grin on his face as he described her for Kaylee, but he was powerless to wipe it off.

"Had her hair all pulled back tight in'a bun," he avoided looking at Kaylee, even to himself he was sounding mighty smitten now. "So you could see her neck all long an' graceful, like a swan. Her hair was real dark, almost black. Pale skin, like some china doll…" he stopped as he heard the familiar steady steps heading their way.

"Mal's comin'," he hurriedly got up and grabbed his mop again. "Best get busy." He moved to the middle of the deck so he'd catch Mal's eye right away an' Kaylee'd have time to slip behind the crates and out of the cargo hold behind him.

Inara let her gaze drift over the opulent room. It had been an exquisite performance this evening; she truly wished she could catch the ballet more often. And Governor Peter Jansch had proven to be a wonderful host and charming client. She was pleased now that she had contracted to spend most of her two-week stay with him.

She knew he rarely attended the ballet himself, but his old friend Jacob Rezai had brought up that his lover was a ballet dancer at a dinner party her first night here and Peter suggested they attend after seeing her interest. Of course, Jacob had made sure the company held a special after party in his honor.

Coyly, she glanced up at the distinguished gentleman beside her; laughing lightly at his comment about never understanding how male dancers could stand wearing those tights. His company was the perfect balm for her recently shaken faith in her abilities in selecting clients. There was neither hint of the arrogance Atherton had displayed nor the sullen childishness of some of her other recent clients.

She was even able to put Mal and his _tchen wah_ of a wife out of her mind.

Jacob led a lovely young boy over to them, proudly introducing him as Kinza. Inara remembered seeing him dancing in the background a few times. He was good, though hardly as talented as some of the dancers had been. He would probably never rise to soloist in the company, but that appeared to matter little to Jacob. He was utterly smitten with the boy. Although, if it were not for the wise eyes that gazed steadily back at her, Inara would have been a bit disturbed by the fact that he seemed no more then 16 years old to Jacob's nearly 60 years.

Whatever the age difference, it was clear this boy was a consenting partner in the relationship. As he turned and beamed at Jacob, it was obvious that there was a strong emotional attachment on both sides. An attachment that became clearer as a young lady started to pass by until Jacob stopped her. The look Kinza quickly hid was one of jealousy and fear. Inara made a note to try and get the young man alone sometime tonight to soothe his fears. The expressions on both Jacob and the girl's faces told her he had nothing to fear from her.

"River dear, you must allow me to congratulate you on receiving your first solo piece," Jacob gave her a familiar hug and a chaste peck on the cheek. Former lovers perhaps, but whatever spark might once have been was gone now. "When does it debut?"

"Thank you Jacob," she said in a soft, cultured voice. "It is being added to next week's program." She turned a shy smile towards her and the Governor. "I hope you enjoyed this evening's performance, Governor?"

"It was lovely, Ms. Tam. And it is a pleasure to see you again," Peter responded, giving her slender hand a kiss. "Allow me to introduce my guest, Inara Serra. Inara, this is River Tam."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Inara said, giving a slight curtsy. She studied the girl discretely; she was only a few years older than Kinza. A pale, slender girl with dark brown hair which was tied in a bun and large brown eyes. Inara recalled being very impressed with her talent during the performance. She was not a bit surprised that she had just achieved solo dancer status.

"The pleasure is all mine," the girl gracefully returned the curtsy, and then turned to Kinza. "You danced beautifully tonight." Inara knew the praise was a little high, but the girl's tone was both genuine and warm.

"Thank you," he responded with a slight flush, which caused the young lady to give him a quick hug and whisper something in his ear that made him visibly relax for the first time since she had joined them. Perhaps she wouldn't need to reassure him after all, the girl seemed to be doing that already.

"Ladies, Kinza, if you will excuse us I do need to talk to Jacob in private for one moment," the Governor said smoothly, before leading Jacob off to a quieter corner at the others quick acquiesce. Kinza excused himself to get a drink as soon as the two older gentlemen left. Inara smiled slightly at his innocent faux pas in not asking if anyone else wished for one.

"You handled that quite well," Inara said, turning back to the girl with a smile. She laughed softly.

"Thank you," her eyes twinkled back at Inara, "Kinza is having some troubles accepting that I don't find Jacob as enthralling as he does. Or that Jacob is considerably more taken with him then he ever was with me. If Kinza had met him first, I never would have stood a chance."

Inara was impressed by the girl's lack of malice towards her apparent replacement.

"How did you meet Governor Jansch?" she asked with a refreshing lack guile. "If you don't mind my asking."

"I'm a Companion," Inara smiled, happy to be able to tell someone her profession without worrying about their judgment of her.

"I considered studying to become one briefly," the girl shared with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Until it was pointed out to me by my brother that I would have to be pleasant and charming to everyone all the time, even him."

"I think they make an exception for brothers," Inara said with a laugh. The girl was utterly charming; she didn't think she would have had any difficulties at all had she decided to become a Companion.

"Now someone tells me," River rolled her eyes in mock exasperation before letting out a husky chuckle. "Are you based here in New Dunsmuir?"

"No, I travel with a transport ship. I'm visiting Beaumonde for two weeks." Inara found she was genuinely starting to like the girl. "So you have a solo in next week's performance? Would that be starting Monday? Perhaps I can catch a performance before I leave."

"Yes," River said with a nervous smile. "It's hard to believe next week is only two days away. We had to add a new piece due to injuries to two of the other dancers, so there was a bit of a rush on it."

"It is a shame about the other dancers." She was touched by the obvious concern that had been in the girl's voice. "I hope that it was nothing too serious?"

"The soloist that was injured, Breanna, should be back to rehearsals shortly. Although it may be a while before she is back to performance level." River said softly. "But her understudy was hurt rather badly; they feel she will have to sit out the rest of the season."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said gently.

"It was horrible," River replied. The girl then seemed to shake herself free of the bad memories and gave Inara a bright, curious smile, "So, what kind of ship are you traveling on?"

"It's a Firefly class," Inara stated as she allowed the girl to shift the conversation back to her. The topic _had_ been getting a bit heavy for a party. "Her name is Serenity."

The effect on the girl was immediate. Her eyes widened in shock and what little color she had drained away.

"Serenity," she said faintly. Inara moved closer to place a gentle hand on her arm.

"River?" she asked with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," the girl flushed slightly. "I…I just wasn't expecting you to be from _that_ ship."

"You've heard of her?" Inara asked, wondering what had caused the girl such distress.

"I was in a bar near the docks last night and met one of her crew," River said, the flush getting deeper. At Inara's curious gaze she went on softly. "A couple of my fellow dancers took me there to celebrate my birthday and ended up heading off for a bit. While they were gone a rather unpleasant man decided I was fair game and started creating a scene. Jayne stopped him."

"Jayne?" Inara said in disbelief. Now Mal she could see coming to someone's aid like that, but Jayne? River laughed at her stunned expression.

"Yes, so my estimate that saving damsels in distress was not a common past time for him was correct?" River seemed to be recovering her equilibrium, Inara noted.

"You could say that," Inara smiled faintly. "Usually he doesn't do anything that does not benefit him somehow." That comment brought a laugh out of the young girl.

"Well, he did try and collect a reward afterwards." Her secretive smile made Inara wonder just what kind of reward Jayne had asked for. But then again, considering the attractiveness of the girl and the morals of the mercenary in question, perhaps it was best not to know. River didn't appear overly disturbed by whatever it had been. However, there had been her earlier reaction.

"I hope he wasn't too crude and obnoxious," Inara probed gently, just to make sure there really had been no harm done.

"Overall, no. Not too crude and obnoxious at all," River's expression seemed faintly surprised at that. "I mean, he had his moments. But he never pressed the issue and actually allowed me to sit with him while I waited for my friends to return."

"With a little training, he might even make a passable Knight In Shining Armor," she mused as that same wicked gleam she'd had earlier returned to her eyes. Inara was sure she saw something else there as well; something that told her the girl had been more than a little impressed with Jayne Cobb. Unsettling as the reflection was, Inara found herself wondering how the mercenary had reacted to this young woman. River Tam was not what she would consider his type at all.

But any chance to learn more about the events of the night before passed as the Governor and Jacob returned.

"Forgive us for taking so long ladies," Jacob said smoothly as his eyes wandered over to where Kinza was talking to a small group of his fellow dancers.

"That is quite all right, it gave Inara and I a chance to acquainted," River replied with a smile.

"Yes," Inara said, "It seems we have several common interests and a mutual friend."

"Really? Anyone we might know?" Peter asked. River and Inara both laughed.

"Not very likely," Inara answered, "He's the mercenary attached to the ship I am on."

"A mercenary?" Jacob said as he looked at River questioningly.

"Yes, and how I know him is none of your business," she laughed and gave him a quick kiss to ease the sting of her comment.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go speak with some friends," River added. She graciously removed herself from the group with quick hugs for Jacob and Inara as well as a curtsy to the Governor as Kinza drifted back to Jacob's side.

Inara watched her walk off contemplatively, a nebulous idea forming in her mind.

TBC…


End file.
